Comments

What a masterpiece. Wonderful crumb and the crust is so papery thin! I wouldn't worry about the slicing being hard because, if this loaf ever made it anywhere near my house, I know my kids would just 'rip' into it :- ) As txfarmer says - shred-ably soft so it can be pulled apart which is what you have said too.

Thanks for the post. I always love seeing your breads and each one seems to out-do its predecessor.

Take Care,

Janet

P.S. Is the malt powder a new addition? I don't recall seeing it in your other formulas. Do you use it for its sweeting properties or as food for the yeast?

Thanks for the explanation. Makes sense if it is diastatic malt rather than non-diastatic malt. Does it add any malty flavor that you can detect? I use non-diastatic malt as a sweetener in breads at times for the hint of malt it imparts on a loaf - a subtle something…

is normally 50% hydration, sometimes lower. Storage of the mother dough is at 18C and is kept with varying methods, either in water, tied in cloth or free in the container. It is fed every 12hrs, (the tying method can be extended to 20hrs). To use for panettone at least three refreshments are made at 28C every four hours. Or every 3 hours if storage of the mother is in water or free.

What can I say Michael... fantastic!!! As you know, this recipe had given me many problems in the past - but on the few occasions I've actually managed to make it, it was delicious. I've never made it as well as this though! Congratulations. I think it's time I had another go...

Thanks David. You know, you weren't the only one who had problems with this formula. This was third time lucky for me. I am quite chuffed with the result myself..! Please try it again. I wish you good luck.

I was thinking about my starter and your suggestion that the LAB count was too high (for those who don't know, I keep it at 100%) so yesterday I took a small amount, converted it to 50% and then gave it two additions feedings, as per Massari's instructions, for a total of 3 feeds over 12 hours - the first feeding was the conversion.

This morning I made the second impasto and... it worked! Not perfectly I suspected - it seemed just a little too slack, but at least not a batter. I've just taken it out of the oven and it's flat on top, so not a complete success, and burnt!!! (I'm using an unfamiliar oven, again). One test only is not "proof", but it strongly suggests that the problem has been (and is) in my starter all along. Time to convert permanently to a 50% I think. It's strange, my starter has worked for every other panettone recipe I've tried (I don't know if you saw my posting of panettone a tre impasti, which you should try next if you have the time) but with paradiso it seems the starter must have the perfect acidity level. So although another (partial) failure today, I'm feeling very happy! Let's see what happens with a correctly maintained Italian starter.

This is truly a thing of beauty Michael, and a fitting example of all the hard work and effort you've put in over the last year or two of concentrating on making these particularly challenging breads. It may look somewhat like a cake, and have some common ingredients, but the similarities end there. Even a delicate foam cake such as Angel Food is far easier to produce reliably than any Pannetone, particularly when the Pannetone has the flour/fat/sugar ratio your Paradiso has, requiring precise mixing and fermentation to achieve the feathery crumb of your bread. Beautifully executed Michael, you have every good reason to be chuffed about your results!

That panettone looks wonderful! Would you be able to share your mixing process for each of the kneadings? For those of us with far less experience than you, it would be tremendously helpful to know the steps you took for adding ingredients, mixing times, etc. Thanks.

Mixing times vary. I can't really teach you with mere words alone. Only hands on experience will teach you. But I would say that recognising when the dough takes rope during mixing is key to understanding this tricky procedure.

I have just bought the Cresci book and have a couple of questions. Did you make your starter with fruit pulp and sparkling water? or use an existing starter? and How did you scale down the quantities? I have looked at your results and have been inspired. absolutely wonderful

I have done both. I would recommend following the instructions as written. I keep my starter fed with 100g flour and ~50g water. The book specifies temperatures, so you'll need a away to control those temps very precisely. I have a setup using an aquarium heater. Also it would be best to keep the flour consistent, so buy a big sack of strong low ash flour.

Michael, I lost this masterpiece of yours! It's simply perefct, probably the most beautiful I remember. Not even Luciana ever made such a beautiful panettone, and she made literally hundreds (so now the challenge is on:-) ).

Do I read correctly? sugar + honey amount to 70% with respect to flour? and with a flour with W280? what brand is it?

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